Checkered garter snake

[colin222]

Hi, I'm new hear and kinda need some advice. I'm hoping to get my first garter snake (my first snake period), a checkered one, and was wondering if 2 of these snakes can live in a 2ft wide vivarium together :confused:

It's just that I have the chance to get a pair with vivarium ready to go for a cheap price. Anything else I should look out for too :confused:

Just dont wanna get screwed over when I get em.

Help would be greately appreciated here.

Thanks.

[GarterGuy]

Howdy and welcome to the forum. As far as tank size, I like to use this little formula.....I allow 125 square inches of cage space, per foot of snake. I like to give my snakes plenty of room to move around and stretch out. As far as anything else to look for, I'd make sure that the cage is well secured (with a good top....garters are escape artist) and that the snakes are good and healthy. They should be alert and active and should have good weight to them (not be overly thin with hanging skin). Also ask to handle them, when you do, make sure they're just not limp in your hands, feel for any lumps or bumps in the body and check to see if they've got any mites on them (it'll look like little dots of pepper on the snake and your hands). It's good to be careful and picky with them.....cheap snakes might be tempting, but if they've got issues you could be paying in the end with vet bills or possibly two dead snakes.

[Snaky]

You can have a look at this caresheet for the general care:
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet

And this article may be very nice to see which fish you'd best give them:
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Thiamin,

I'd also like to be a bit cautious about it. Like Roy says, cheap certainly not always means in good health...

[Serpentine99]

Colin, checkereds make great first garters, i've found they're the best overall garter i've owned so far(especially feeding). Of course because i haven't had the liberty to own a plains garter yet(James), I cant say they're the best garters overall.

[adamanteus]

Checkereds are indeed great Garters, of all the Garters I've kept I have had Checkereds the most.... never give you any trouble feeding and they breed even if you don't want them to!...... In fact they seem to breed even if you haven't got any!!

[Lori P]

ROFL James!!!!

[adamanteus]

It's true! I started off building my current collection... radix, tetrataenia, concinnus, etc etc, then all of a sudden I have 2.1 marcianus... where did they come from? Spontaneously developed out of the ether!